Jes groaned as she eased herself out of her window. It had taken forever to
get rid of Kip and now all she wanted was to sleep, no doubt that was what
every other page in the palace was doing. Jes landed on the ground in the
courtyard below with a light thump and looked around to see if anyone might
have seen her descent. The courtyard was completely silent and Jes breathed
a sigh of relief. If she got caught now she didn't know what she was going
to say.
With another quick look around Jes slid into the shadows along the wall, moving quickly but silently. It seemed to take forever to reach the small side gate and Jes looked over her shoulder with a gulp before tapping the guardsman in front of her on the shoulder.
"Wha-" the man cut off with a smile when he saw Jes, "Tomas isn't too happy with ya for not being there last night, what held you up?" he said.
"Nothing, nothing, but I've got to get out quick, if someone sees that I'm gone I'm dead." Jes said. The man nodded and swung the gate open. Jes winced as the hinges squealed, "Can't you oil that or something before I get up. I told you, if I'm caught I'm dead." Jes said.
"What, palace maids aren't allowed to go into the city at night?" the man asked, "I've met plenty of them at night." He said with a smile. Jes shook her head with disgust as she slipped past him and out onto the street. Bran was a good enough man, he was trustworthy according to Tom. But she really didn't need any questions about her maid identity right now, Tom would kill her if he knew what she was doing.
"Hey there girly, pretty things like you shouldn't be out alone at night. You need a man to watch after you." Jes turned to see a large man silhouetted by the light that streamed from the windows of the houses around her. He looked drunk, Jes decided, he was staggering as he walked towards her.
"I'm fine sir." She said.
The man smiled, "No, no, I think you needs some protecting. What do you say girly?" he reached for Jes' arm and she pulled back. The man scowled, "Come on, girly, I don't have time for these games." He said. He slapped her across the face and two knives materialized in Jes' hands from their sheaths along her arms. "No need to be getting all violent then girly." The man said.
Jes smiled, "No, I guess not." She sheathed her daggers and turned to walk away from the man, tensing all of her senses to hear the telltale noise that would give him away. A small grunt came from behind her and she ducked, letting the man's leap carry him over her head. He stood up and turned to face her with a snarl, "You listen here, bitch. You're coming with me." He said. Jes didn't reply, she doubted that there was much she could do to change his mind. The man jumped at her, a sword appearing in his hand. Jes growled to herself, how had she missed the uniform of one of the Palace Guard, drunk and off-duty. Jes threw one of daggers towards the man, hitting him in his shoulder. The man yelped and Jes turned and ran.
* * * * *
Jes pushed open the door into the crowded bar with a smile. Finally she was back where she belonged. The common room of the Silver Crescent was packed with men, on top of one of the tables a girl was dancing to the music that a few of the men were playing. Jes walked over to the table in the corner where her older brother was slouched up against the wall. "Jes! You're finally back. Where were you last night?" he asked.
"They don't let the maids go out into the City until they've been working for a while. They think we'll just take our pay and run off." Jes said.
Tom grinned, "I still don't see why you've decided to turn respectable all of a sudden. You're not a bad pickpocket you know." He said. Jes just shook her head, her brother just didn't want her living in the palace out of his view. Jes turned to look at the empty chair by Tom, "Where's his Majesty?" she asked.
Tom shrugged, there was some trouble off in some city, he had to go deal with some branch that actually wanted to break off from the Rogue." Tom smirked, "Idiots. Anyway he left me in command because even though he knows I want his crown he trusts me.sort of." Jes smiled. Tom and Bando, the King, were close friends despite the rivalry that they had between them. Bando knew that Tom would never try to take over with him gone. For almost the same reasons Tom knew that he would probably never be king because he couldn't kill his friend. It was a complicated situation but Jes thought that the two of them were happy enough.
"I should be getting back to the Palace, if you want to contact me, send it through the guardsman who let me out tonight, Bran. He seems decent enough to me. But I'm gonna be half asleep all tomorrow if I don't get back now." Jes reached into her belt purse and tossed a smaller purse to Tom, "Here, I lightened the load of a couple drunks on my way here. Don't worry brother of mine, I'll never be completely gone from the Rogue." Jes smiled at her brother and slipped out one of the back doors into the alleyway.
* * * * *
Jes woke to a pounding on her door. "Unggghhh. Go away." She muttered as she rolled onto the floor with a thud.
"Jes! It's time for breakfast you slug!" Kip was shouting from the other side of the door. "Get up, get dressed!" Jes was already dressed, simply having fallen into bed when she had returned from the Silver Crescent the night before. She pulled her boots on with a sigh and opened the door. Kip stumbled through the door way as the kick he'd been directing at the door carried him through the doorway.
"Come on, Jes! Normal classes start today!" he said. Jes looked at him, he was definitely overly cheerful.
"What do you mean normal classes? Didn't we have normal classes yesterday?" she asked wearily.
"Nope, we only had our fighting classes in the morning and then that etiquette class all afternoon. That was just because of how horrible we were at serving the night before. Today we've got all the rest of our classes." He said. Kip smiled when he saw Jes' face. Jes just growled at him as he pulled her down the hall cheerily.
With another quick look around Jes slid into the shadows along the wall, moving quickly but silently. It seemed to take forever to reach the small side gate and Jes looked over her shoulder with a gulp before tapping the guardsman in front of her on the shoulder.
"Wha-" the man cut off with a smile when he saw Jes, "Tomas isn't too happy with ya for not being there last night, what held you up?" he said.
"Nothing, nothing, but I've got to get out quick, if someone sees that I'm gone I'm dead." Jes said. The man nodded and swung the gate open. Jes winced as the hinges squealed, "Can't you oil that or something before I get up. I told you, if I'm caught I'm dead." Jes said.
"What, palace maids aren't allowed to go into the city at night?" the man asked, "I've met plenty of them at night." He said with a smile. Jes shook her head with disgust as she slipped past him and out onto the street. Bran was a good enough man, he was trustworthy according to Tom. But she really didn't need any questions about her maid identity right now, Tom would kill her if he knew what she was doing.
"Hey there girly, pretty things like you shouldn't be out alone at night. You need a man to watch after you." Jes turned to see a large man silhouetted by the light that streamed from the windows of the houses around her. He looked drunk, Jes decided, he was staggering as he walked towards her.
"I'm fine sir." She said.
The man smiled, "No, no, I think you needs some protecting. What do you say girly?" he reached for Jes' arm and she pulled back. The man scowled, "Come on, girly, I don't have time for these games." He said. He slapped her across the face and two knives materialized in Jes' hands from their sheaths along her arms. "No need to be getting all violent then girly." The man said.
Jes smiled, "No, I guess not." She sheathed her daggers and turned to walk away from the man, tensing all of her senses to hear the telltale noise that would give him away. A small grunt came from behind her and she ducked, letting the man's leap carry him over her head. He stood up and turned to face her with a snarl, "You listen here, bitch. You're coming with me." He said. Jes didn't reply, she doubted that there was much she could do to change his mind. The man jumped at her, a sword appearing in his hand. Jes growled to herself, how had she missed the uniform of one of the Palace Guard, drunk and off-duty. Jes threw one of daggers towards the man, hitting him in his shoulder. The man yelped and Jes turned and ran.
* * * * *
Jes pushed open the door into the crowded bar with a smile. Finally she was back where she belonged. The common room of the Silver Crescent was packed with men, on top of one of the tables a girl was dancing to the music that a few of the men were playing. Jes walked over to the table in the corner where her older brother was slouched up against the wall. "Jes! You're finally back. Where were you last night?" he asked.
"They don't let the maids go out into the City until they've been working for a while. They think we'll just take our pay and run off." Jes said.
Tom grinned, "I still don't see why you've decided to turn respectable all of a sudden. You're not a bad pickpocket you know." He said. Jes just shook her head, her brother just didn't want her living in the palace out of his view. Jes turned to look at the empty chair by Tom, "Where's his Majesty?" she asked.
Tom shrugged, there was some trouble off in some city, he had to go deal with some branch that actually wanted to break off from the Rogue." Tom smirked, "Idiots. Anyway he left me in command because even though he knows I want his crown he trusts me.sort of." Jes smiled. Tom and Bando, the King, were close friends despite the rivalry that they had between them. Bando knew that Tom would never try to take over with him gone. For almost the same reasons Tom knew that he would probably never be king because he couldn't kill his friend. It was a complicated situation but Jes thought that the two of them were happy enough.
"I should be getting back to the Palace, if you want to contact me, send it through the guardsman who let me out tonight, Bran. He seems decent enough to me. But I'm gonna be half asleep all tomorrow if I don't get back now." Jes reached into her belt purse and tossed a smaller purse to Tom, "Here, I lightened the load of a couple drunks on my way here. Don't worry brother of mine, I'll never be completely gone from the Rogue." Jes smiled at her brother and slipped out one of the back doors into the alleyway.
* * * * *
Jes woke to a pounding on her door. "Unggghhh. Go away." She muttered as she rolled onto the floor with a thud.
"Jes! It's time for breakfast you slug!" Kip was shouting from the other side of the door. "Get up, get dressed!" Jes was already dressed, simply having fallen into bed when she had returned from the Silver Crescent the night before. She pulled her boots on with a sigh and opened the door. Kip stumbled through the door way as the kick he'd been directing at the door carried him through the doorway.
"Come on, Jes! Normal classes start today!" he said. Jes looked at him, he was definitely overly cheerful.
"What do you mean normal classes? Didn't we have normal classes yesterday?" she asked wearily.
"Nope, we only had our fighting classes in the morning and then that etiquette class all afternoon. That was just because of how horrible we were at serving the night before. Today we've got all the rest of our classes." He said. Kip smiled when he saw Jes' face. Jes just growled at him as he pulled her down the hall cheerily.